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Friday, August 22, 2014

Board Review - Glide Rockit 14

Days paddled: 12 (& 1 Tandem session with Coli)Conditions: Glassy – to stormy choppy watersBoard Review: by Joel Yang*Note: The Glide Rockit name has been updated to the "Godspeed" for 2015

When you mention the brand Glide
SUP – most people’s reactions are “Huh???” In fact most people don’t even know
that Glide SUP is a brand based out of Salt Lake City – where they manufacture
their product here…in the USA. Not only do they make the boards here – but
their boards are also Eco-Considered.
What this means – is that Glide pays very close attention to their
manufacturing processes and care about what they put into their product – To
the point where they even test to make sure that there is no “leaching” of
toxins into our waters from their product. After all – what we all love about
paddling – is getting outside on the glide, enjoying beautiful clean water, and
checking out the wildlife and surrounding environment that are all part of the
experience.

For those that are into River
Standup paddling – Glide is no stranger to that arena as they are known for
their GSS *(Glide Surface Shield) composition to their boards. This makes them
super tough, and resilient to rock knocks while paddling the rivers.

Though they are known for their
GSS boards that have a very specific High-Vis look (this season’s being the
bumblebee yellow) they had some boards made that looked very different … in
fact there is something that is truly refreshing and beautiful about looking at
a raw board. It is as you see it – all of it in it’s nakedness - you can see
all of it’s guts, how it is made with all of the accents and flaws - nothing is
hidden under layers of primer and paint. Keep in mind that it also takes quite
a bit more care when a board is made like this – but what you get in the end is
a board that is light, unpretentious, and deliberate.

Glide brought their arsenal of boards out to
the Northwest Paddling Festival - a local event so we could all get a chance to
demo their product. It’s always refreshing to see what a small brand like this
knocks out that isn’t “just like everyone else’s”

Now onto the board:

At
first glance:

-The Rockit has a familiar race shape with a displacement style nose,
slightly sunken cockpit, and a flat tail.

-The rocker in the nose looks like it will work well in the PNW chop and
the flat tail looks like it will help with stability and have enough kick to play
well in the swells and downwinding.

-There is no heavy paint, and the Raw look to the board gives it a crisp
and visually light in appearance.

-The Vector net on the rails and the bottom are a nice touch to break up
the visual space

-The highlight on this board would be the deck pad – that is visually
bright and becomes most of the graphic to this board.

-The texture of the deck pad is very cushy and Coli describes it as a
“Couchy deck pad” and it is instantly comfortable when you step onto it.

The board came
with an FCS 9" plastic fin which I immediately swapped out for my fave
defaulted Larry Allison Ninja fin. Ninja fin is one of the most versatile fins
for me that I have used flatwater paddling as well as Downwinding and it has
yet to let me down. The Ninja aligned well with the placement of the fin box.
The fin and board slapped High fives and it’s time to get this board on the
water.

The
paddle:

From a company
that does not have the history of racing and producing race boards to the
masses, this board felt light, accelerated quickly, and paddled unbelievably
fast compared to many of the factory race boards out there that I have demoed.
Perhaps it has to do with the fact that the board is raw and very “AS-IS” there
is no filler, no heavy paint with layers upon layers or makeup to hide the
blems, this board had a very lively ride that made me feel very connected to
the water.

The board tracked
very straight and I was able to get an average of 14 paddle strokes per side -
the Larry Allison Ninja fin felt right at home with this board. The rocker in
the tail was perfect too with a super clean release and no wake-age going on
behind me.

Coli and I tandem paddled this board!

The board
construction is primarily glass with vector netting on the rails and bottom
that gave it a flex pattern that felt very progressive and natural with my
movements on the board and symbiotically with the water. It is not a bouncy
pool toy type of flex, but more like a flex that works well in choppy &
rough conditions that allows you to work with the hand you’re dealt and paddle
through it, instead of getting knocked around and trying to hang on. I could
clearly feel this when I felt a loading up, and acceleration upon the release
of my paddle stroke that was a new and exciting feeling.

When I accelerated,
the board moved with me, It felt swift, and unified rather than pushing a
vessel through the water. If you get hit by side chop it is forgiving, and when
the chop is behind you, the tail picks up the swell easily.

The standing area
is slightly lowered and there is a micro rail to push your feet up against for
added leverage. The wide square tail, tail rocker & kick were also huge
factors that add to the wahoo factor of this board.

The board is 27”
wide, it is not the narrowest, nor the widest board out there in the market. With
the mostly rounded rails, the Rockit feels very loose at first but the wide
tail gives it some good secondary stability. Round rails allowed me to work the
side chop with ease rather than struggle to stay dry with a stiff legged
stance.

Things we liked:

·The board
tracks very straight, glides smoothly, and you do not feel any friction while
paddling. At one point in time my GPS read 9.8mph – I know for a fact that I am
not capable for paddling at this speed, nor maintaining it, however seeing this
number on my watch and not paddling downwind was actually really exciting for
me – perhaps I regressed a little for a moment.

·Feels like a
custom board & matched up unbelievably well with the Larry Allison Ninja
fin

·This board
is made in the USA and Glide’s constructions are eco-friendly – they use Super
Sap Resin, carefully select materials that are non-toxic, and make sure that
their end product does not leach chemicals into the water…. In short – they put
in the effort into getting you a product that has more meat and less filling.
Think custom burger with Kobe beef vs McDonalds

·The wide
tail adds lots of secondary stability, allows you to play in rough waters, and Downwind.
Plus – Buoy turns all of a sudden got easier.

·The natural
flex and glide of this board just want to keep going on the water – it’s oooh
sooo slippery!

·Tie down options: It is nice to have a very clean looking board without excessive
features and added weight – but I feel that nowadays with everyone using
cameras and speed capturing devices like the NK Speedcoach – it is important to
be able to tether the device to the board as most of them don’t float. Most of
us are never 100% in race mode, and having tie downs is a necessary and
functional feature of a board. Being able to bungee down a few items like your
flip flops, your jacket, and some water is much nicer than to carry it all on
your back. Deck plugs are low profile and countersunk – aka clean. You can
remove the bungee if you were to find it an eyesore while racing. Stick ons are
typically very temporary and most of the time…an eyesore.

·Nose: the
nose shape of this board is unique and has some volume to it – which I like as
it does not purl easily, especially when paddling out in choppy water. However,
there was a sprinkler effect at the nose where the water came up when I
accelerated hard. It was not a dysfunctional effect more than it was slightly
distracting.

·Drainage:
Not a major issue, but if you enjoy riding in choppy waters like me, drainage
is huge. There was a slight puddle that stayed on the board that I feel could
be a shape mod later on down the road to resolve this.

·Handle: the
handle was centered and needed to be slightly back – when you have a fin
installed on the board and carry it – the tail immediately dips downwards and I
can see quite a few tails playing demolition derby with concrete steps to and
from the water

·Fin: The
stock fin that came with this board was a disappointing plastic FCS fin. For a
USA made board that is of this caliber – I’d like to see it come with a glass
performance fin better yet – Larry Allison’s Ninja!

Final thoughts:

“This board made
me want to go out and paddle further & harass my friends at the local
races!”

This is a board that
was extremely surprising to me. It is refreshing to paddle a board that looks
and feels like this. It is unpretentious, fast, light, can handle multiple
water conditions, and will not burn holes in your pocket. It is Eco-mindedly
made locally in SLC, USA, and the customer support you will get is awesome! The
guys helping you out, not only ride the boards, but they are also the ones
making the boards so you won’t get someone answering phones that is not really
that sure of what it is you’re asking about.

This board will be
right if you are seeking a race board that can handle a multitude of water
conditions, are not looking to build a quiver, want a close, connected feel to
the water, and not be afraid to look beyond “what everyone else is paddling” If
you’re going to get hung up on popularity, then this will be a stretch to your
comfort zone, but if you’re wanting to get on the glide and go without having
to worry about what others think of you – then this is your ticket.

Go paddle,
explore, charge, and surprise people as part of the process!

*** and YES – this
board does really feel like a custom!Hope you enjoyed the read and see you out on the water!Joel & Coli